Indonesia's Internet pioneer's achievements, vision

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): The Internet gained popularity in Indonesia about five years ago, and in several years to come, some observers predict, warnet (Internet cafes) will find their way into villages.

The pioneer in Internet development in Indonesia is Joseph Fellipus Peter Luhukay, a doctor of philosophy in computer science from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Luhukay began by introducing the networking system in 1983 at the University of Indonesia (UI), shortly after he returned from his stint as a visiting professor in the U.S.

He was introduced to the network in 1978 when he was doing research at the University of Illinois. There he participated in a networking system called ARPAnet (Advanced Research Project Agency network), a precursor of the Internet, developed for the U.S. Ministry of Defense.

Luhukay, who majored in computer architecture, in 1979 codesigned and developed what was called "ILLInet", a fiber-optic network with a speed of more than 3 megabits per second.

He shared his knowledge with fellow local scientists upon his return to Indonesia in early 1983.

"At that time I felt isolated from the research world," said the father of Ruth Natalia, 17, and Michael Nathaniel, 13.

This feeling of isolation encouraged him to develop a network which could connect UI and universities in America at the so- called NETlab which he developed in cooperation with several computer companies in Jakarta.

This network was called UNInet and it interconnected UI, Bandung Institute of Technology and Bogor Agriculture Institute in West Java, Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Surabaya Institute of Technology, Hasanuddin University in South Sulawesi and the Directorate General of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education and Culture.

UNInet was the beginning of the Internet in Indonesia. "At first the network served research purposes and was not commercial use. It was used to exchange information on the latest research, for instance.

"It gained momentum after private sectors were allowed access into the network. The first private companies to join UNInet were, among others, Caltex and Astra," Luhukay said.

The technology was continuously developed. Between 1994 and 1995, the World Wide Web design was introduced.

UNInet was "finished" after the US$350,000 fund from the World Bank, which was distributed to the seven universities that participated in UNinet, ran out.

Now, the Internet has become part of the urban people's lifestyle, but the bulk of the 210 million population of Indonesia are still "Internet illiterate".

Luhukay, who is also a partner of Ernst & Young consulting firm, referred to AC Nielsen's survey that the number of Internet users in Indonesia currently is only around 1.47 million and only some 400,000 of them are subscribers to Internet service providers.

The data shows that 43 percent of them use the Internet through warnet, while another 42 percent through offices or universities.

"It is the lowest in number compared to neighboring countries like Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand," Luhukay said. "The consequence are that we will be left behind in e- commerce."

Even though there are 1.47 million Internet users already, the potential is not that big, he said.

"It will be difficult for people to do business transaction through warnet^," said Luhukay, husband of Ida Ratna Pasaribu, a lecturer at the UI's School of Letters.

Luhukay, an Ambonese, is now not only an expert on the Internet but also a business consultant who is involved with local and international institutions.

His professional record includes executive positions in the consulting and academic fields. The 54-year-old man also holds honorary positions at seven private companies, publications, government institutions, academic institutions, and professional societies.

He sleeps about four hours a day and spends the rest working. Nevertheless he does not want to be called a workaholic.

"I like to work but it doesn't mean that I am a workaholic. I believe in using my waking hours as much as possible doing anything useful for others," he said.

Luhukay is no longer a UI lecturer but still teaches at Bina Nusantara University in West Jakarta.

Luhukay, who has a "round-the-clock" Internet connection, has his own statement about the Internet: "The Internet enables man to be more human."

Luhukay believes that universities should play a greater role in developing Internet literacy. Teachers should learn more about the facility. People under 25, the majority of Internet users now, should be the focus because they will form the country's information elite.

The number of Net users will reach anywhere between two million and five million by the year 2005, he added.

Luhukay has big plans for Bina Nusantara University. The institution wants to form "BiNusians", a virtual community that allows all the university's students and alumnae to exchange information and share knowledge through the Net. "Through this system, education becomes nonterminal because BiNusians can always come back to school through the Internet and learn more", he said.

If more universities have such a system, the Internet would become a practical way for people to learn about almost anything from the outside world.

Luhukay does not share many people's fear that the Internet would produce an individualistic society and undermine human relations.

The Net has revolutionized the way people all over the world interact.

"They are physically confined to a certain locality but their minds can freely roam in this borderless world thanks to the technology," he said.

For him and his family, the Internet has become part of their lifestyle and very much affects his decision making.

"I check a book (on the Net) to decide if I should read it; on a movie to see if it is worth watching. I communicate with many friends through the Internet. I'm on the Internet for about 25 percent of my waking hours; I will check e-mails right after I wake up in the morning. I am connected to the network during office hours and I still do something with the computer at home between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m." he said.

The Net also demonstrated its function last June when his family decided to go on holiday to Nepal and Tibet. Since no travel agent in Jakarta could arrange the tour, he downloaded information about the countries, including the immigration forms, booked tours, and made direct contacts with guides there, all through the Internet. It worked very well.

Luhukay has developed a so-called "management by wire". While away from the computer, he will send colleagues and secretaries SMS (Short Messaging Service) messages to get his work done.

"I will guide my students who are writing their thesis through e-mail. If I need to write a paper, I surf sources in the Internet, check book authors on yahoo!, and in one week I get the book or CD-rom."

He has a home network. Every room has a computer that allows each family member to communicate through e-mail or SMS.